Second-Year Audiology Student: Elisa Hoyos

My name is Elisa and I’m a second-year Audiology student in Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA). I completed my bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and brain & cognitive science at the University of Rochester in N.Y.

Growing up in a bilingual household, I quickly developed a love for all things language and communication related. By the time I entered college, this interest expanded to include how the brain processes, interprets and receives language, thus inspiring me to study brain and cognitive science with a concentration in language.

After much debate of what to pursue after I graduated college, I found audiology and fell in love with the profession. That brings me to today, to my life as a second-year audiology student. Somedays it seems hard to believe that I’ve reached the halfway point of my doctoral program, but I made it! One of the reasons I chose Salus was for its heavy emphasis on clinical experiences. Even just as a second year, I can say that the number of clinical skills and experiences I’ve had would rival that of a fellow audiology student in a different program.

Each week of second year consists of two full days of clinical experience, and three days of classes. By the end of the first semester, we completed 60 hours of clinic time in addition to a full class load, and credentialing for four different clinical skills. As a second year, you are directly included in many aspects of patient care. At this point, you can run a full hearing evaluation and fit hearing aids. Your days in clinic - at the University’s on-campus Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) - can be long, but are always rewarding as you are continuously learning better techniques and sharpening your skills!

This semester is the first semester some students are eligible to have an offsite clinical placement. I was fortunate enough to get a placement with an educational audiologist! I see so many kids, all with very different types of hearing loss and even do full evaluations on kids for early intervention. Every Tuesday I travel to my placement, and then I am at PEI on rotating Thursdays. On Thursdays when I’m not scheduled to be in clinic, you can usually still find me on campus either at my work study job, catching up on homework and group projects, or relieving some stress at the gym (Hafter Student Center).  As always, it’s important to take some time for yourself and practice self-care!

Class-wise, we continue to have a packed schedule including vestibular science, pediatric intervention and management, clinical problem solving, integrated organ systems, and auditory evoked responses just to name a few. One of the highlights this semester has been our class on cochlear implants which is fascinating! Classes continue to take on an even more detailed focus allowing us to further explore the parts and functions of all areas of the hearing and balance apparatus. 

Learn More About the Salus Audiology Progam